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  <title>Do users control the software they use?</title>
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  <article class="h-entry">
    <header>
      <h1 class="p-name">Do users control the software they use?</h1>
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    <section data-field="subtitle" class="p-summary">
      ‘Playful cleverness’ as RMS puts it, has been a much awaited jargon for the motivation behind building new things
      in computing be it…
    </section>
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      <section name="4ea9" class="section section--body section--first">
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            <h3 name="e846" id="e846" class="graf graf--h3 graf--leading graf--title">Do users control the software
              they use?</h3>
            <p name="d5e1" id="d5e1" class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithSingleQuote graf-after--h3 graf--trailing">
              ‘Playful cleverness’ as <a href="https://stallman.org/rms-lifestyle.html"
                data-href="https://stallman.org/rms-lifestyle.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
                rel="noopener" target="_blank">RMS</a> puts it, has been a much awaited jargon for the motivation behind
              building new things in computing be it software or hardware. A more popular jargon being ‘hacking’ or some
              choose a more euphemistic term ‘ethical hacking’ to distinguish themselves from the colloquial pirates.
              Ethical, in itself is a subjective term. Would someone call Amazon ‘ethical’ for having <a
                href="https://stallman.org/amazon.html" data-href="https://stallman.org/amazon.html"
                class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener" target="_blank">universal backdoor(s) in Alexa
                and Kindle</a>? Perhaps, a <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html"
                data-href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
                rel="noopener" target="_blank">freedom respecting</a> (in terms of software) person would not.</p>
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      </section>
      <section name="7c06" class="section section--body">
        <div class="section-divider">
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            <p name="0c33" id="0c33" class="graf graf--p graf--leading">It’s quite bewildering to see that the software
              we use in our daily lives are intrinsically controlling the way we interact with them. These may have
              serious <a href="https://stallman.org/google.html" data-href="https://stallman.org/google.html"
                class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ramifications</a> on privacy and
              freedom. What we call as &#39;using&#39; a software is actually turning out be &#39;used by&#39; the
              software. For example, we believe that we use Facebook for making friends, following news, communication,
              advertising etc but in reality we are being used by social media platforms in giving out private details,
              targeted for incessant advertising and acting as a servant for the Government. Do you think Facebook would
              not give data to the Government, third parties and data brokers? In fact, Facebook can do whatever they
              wish to, <a href="https://stallman.org/facebook.html" data-href="https://stallman.org/facebook.html"
                class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener" target="_blank">without any informed consent from
                its users</a>. The privacy and usage terms devised by these social media bigwigs are obscure, malicious,
              intrusive and ephemeral. Facebook and other social media sites chews on user’s data and spits out targeted
              ads which makes the users buy things they don’t need. Public opinions are hugely influenced through these
              social networking sites. Anyone can pay Facebook to get their propaganda through.</p>
            <p name="81b9" id="81b9" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p graf--trailing">In fact Facebook doesn’t allow
              its usage, by blocking users and victimizing them. Yet, I continue to visit that website because it is
              built to make people addicted. Checking notifications from people. Every notification pumping a small dose
              of dopamine. Man is such a gregarious being that socializing becomes inevitable. These philosophers and
              spiritual gurus who preach of aloneness (a made up word I guess because the spell-checker doesn’t seem to
              agree), disenchantment, austerity, mindfulness and awareness are doing it through Facebook and other
              social media sites. How thoughtful!</p>
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      </section>
      <section name="e3ef" class="section section--body">
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          <div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
            <p name="5f51" id="5f51" class="graf graf--p graf--leading">These ways of wisdom is enriched through
              experience. Memories are like those binoculars through which we see our present and chart the future
              course. Without it we are blind. Every action would be spontaneous and impromptu. No more déjà vu. No more
              hesitations and conflicts. Just perpetuity without classification and discernment. This ushers a
              possibility. A possibility of a beginning and not a means to an end.</p>
            <figure name="c09c" id="c09c" class="graf graf--figure graf-after--p graf--trailing">
              <div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked" style="max-width: 600px; max-height: 559px;">
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                  data-is-featured="true" src="assets/img/stallman.medium.png">
              </div>
              <figcaption class="imageCaption">What Freedom Means by Michael Pagnotti</figcaption>
            </figure>
          </div>
        </div>
      </section>
      <section name="3092" class="section section--body">
        <div class="section-divider">
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        <div class="section-content">
          <div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
            <p name="e50a" id="e50a" class="graf graf--p graf--leading graf--trailing">One fine night, just about
              midnight I woke up and realized the mention of a <a href="https://ryf.fsf.org/"
                data-href="https://ryf.fsf.org/" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener"
                target="_blank">freedom respecting hardware</a>. A <a href="https://jordanebay0011.wixsite.com/website/product-page/libreboot-x200s-notebook-8gb-ram-256ssd"
                data-href="https://jordanebay0011.wixsite.com/website/product-page/libreboot-x200s-notebook-8gb-ram-256ssd"
                class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener" target="_blank">notebook</a> which was modified
              to allow the users to use it without sacrificing their freedom. Freedom of using the hardware in whichever
              way they wished. No hidden backdoors to spy on them. So, went ahead to get a <a
                href="https://libreboot.org/" data-href="https://libreboot.org/" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
                rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Libre</em> machine</a> with a free
              (as in free speech) operating system. Completely customizable to suit my experience. No <a
                href="https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary.html"
                data-href="https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
                rel="noopener" target="_blank">proprietary</a> or confidential programs on it. A day of true liberation
              for my computing. Would I call my self with an erstwhile maligned term &#39;Hacker&#39; which now is just
              a passé by appending an &#39;Ethical&#39; tag to it? Perhaps, hacking in its true spirit would mean
              &#39;playful cleverness’ without any good or evil morality. Morality, still is an issue of societal
              acceptance and preferences. More so, an issue of conflict between cults on various disagreements.</p>
          </div>
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      <section name="33de" class="section section--body section--last">
        <div class="section-divider">
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            <p name="8255" id="8255" class="graf graf--p graf--leading graf--trailing">In fact, me writing an article on
              Medium would be frowned upon if I were a devout follower of the free software philosophy. Simply, because
              I’m writing on a website that uses <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html"
                data-href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
                rel="noopener" target="_blank">non-free JavaScript</a>. I tell myself that at the end of the day -
              "Neither am I a true conformist nor a contentious rebel, but somewhere in between."</p>
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